


False Colors

by WhatOtherPlanet



Category: RWBY
Genre: Alternate Universe - No Creatures of Grimm (RWBY), Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, F/F, F/M, Soulmates, This Is Not A White Knight Fic, also other stuff is different but shhhhhhh, except not really
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-15
Updated: 2020-07-22
Packaged: 2021-03-04 07:07:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,701
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24739750
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WhatOtherPlanet/pseuds/WhatOtherPlanet
Summary: At long last, the gem in Weiss's forehead changes color to match her soulmate's eyes.
Relationships: Blake Belladonna/Ruby Rose/Weiss Schnee/Yang Xiao Long, Blake Belladonna/Yang Xiao Long, Jaune Arc & Weiss Schnee, Jaune Arc/Pyrrha Nikos, Lie Ren/Nora Valkyrie, Ruby Rose/Weiss Schnee
Comments: 24
Kudos: 84





	1. The Wrong Color

**Author's Note:**

> This is not a White Knight fic.

The gem on her forehead was the wrong shade of blue.

Weiss Schnee blinked, staring at the mirror in frozen silence until the water running over her hands turned too hot to tolerate any longer. She stood up straight, finishing her makeup with the utmost precision. She had to look perfect; she'd be meeting the love of her life today, after all.

She smiled in the mirror, checking her work. She'd been awaiting this day for a long time, and first impressions were important, destiny or no. Thankfully, she looked as flawless as she ever had.

She stepped out of her bedroom, mind racing as she went to her wardrobe.

None of the servants had commented on the change, which meant her soulstone had probably shifted just now while she was bathing. That meant she had less than half an hour until she met her soulmate. It was fortunate, then, that she was already in the process of prettying herself up. She was tempted to deviate from her planned outfit, put on something a little fancier, but tonight's dinner  _ was  _ a relatively casual affair. Overdressing would just make her look overeager.

Even so, she ducked her head back into the bathroom to put some extra flourish on her eyeliner. The makeup concealed her blush, but it couldn't conceal the nervous grin she shot herself.

The halls were filled with the clatter and murmur of servants. They all smiled and greeted her like usual, but she could see the way their gazes fell on her forehead, the way their faces bloomed in quiet astonishment. She paid them no mind, nodding politely as she always did.

She arrived at the entryway promptly, a good ten minutes early for her introduction. She stood behind the curtain, trembling with anticipation.

What would her soulmate be like? Would she be the young scion to another corporation? Perhaps an up-and-coming scholar? Or… would they not be a "she" at all? It'd be unprecedented for her, but… Weiss was young, and it was possible she'd… jumped to conclusions.

The high receded, and her smile faltered as she thought of the people it  _ wouldn't  _ be. Still, it wasn't like it was a surprise. They'd  _ known _ this would happen one day. Today was Weiss's day… and someday, someday it'd be—

She only noticed the tension in her shoulders when a heavy and familiar hand gently pressed into it.

She turned, and let slip a genuine smile. Klein's eyes were sparkling with a joy she couldn't help but reflect, banishing all other thoughts from her mind. "Miss Schnee, by chance have you noticed…?"

"I have." She. "It's… not surprising I suppose. With my age, it was bound to happen sooner or later."

"I can't even tell you how happy we are for you," he said. His eyes shifted colors, but the jewel on his head stayed the same deep brown. 

Weiss had met Klein's wife once. She was a remarkably kind woman, and the way the colors in her soulstone shifted to match Klein's eyes was a beautiful thing indeed. They were lucky to have one another.

She could only hope she'd be as happy.

"Miss Schnee? Is everything alright?"

"It is, thank you Klein." She smiled with sincerity. "I'm… admittedly a bit nervous."

Klein's eyes switched from brown to yellow. "Oooh I'm certain she'll be lovely, darling! You'll see, I'm sure!"

Her smile faltered.

_ "Presenting, the daughter of our host, miss Weiss Schnee!" _

She searched their faces as she walked across the hall. The Adels were here, but no new family members. Coco cocked an eyebrow at her as she passed, to which Weiss offered a slight smirk and a nod. Even a year older, Coco's soulstone was still brown, but she didn't look jealous so much as intrigued. The Vasilias family were here in force, and Weiss's heart leapt in her chest when she saw a young man she didn't know. He was tall, dashing, with a shock of startling blue hair that matched his—dark blue eyes! But his soulstone was the same shade, ocean rather than ice. Not him then, though his eyes widened sharply when he saw hers, and he rushed to look at his reflection in a serving tray.

The next two families were similarly unmatching, as were a few individuals who'd come alone or as plus-ones. Weiss was starting to get frustrated, when suddenly she spotted him.

He was tall, blonde, a bit on the babyfaced side though by no means unattractive. His eyes—dark blue—met hers, and then trailed up. Her did as well, settling on a stone the color of ice.

She was about to say something, to introduce herself, but the words didn't come out. Her hands flew to her mouth. Tears welled in her eyes.

_ Him,  _ though?  _ He  _ smiled, his eyes lidding. "Well, hellooo snow angel…"

The night ran long. The celebration was twofold. Once the match had been confirmed, her father ordered a toast. Peter Port and Mrs. Arc gave speeches, it was all very moving and grand. Weiss smiled the whole time too, avoiding eye contact and deflecting words of praise in modest calm.

She talked to him, too. She talked to him.

Hours later, Weiss schnee retired to her chambers. She was tired, she said. From all the excitement, she said.

She walked through halls, past quietly murmuring servants, a giddy smile frozen on her face.

The moment she was in her room, that smile fell to pieces.

She undressed quickly, and dressed again even faster; a dark cloak over the plainest clothes she owned. She waited until past midnight, when the guests had all headed to their rooms, and crept out into the halls in full haste. She avoided the servants, heading to the library.

Klein let her out through the secret exit without a word. His eyes were red, his fists tight, but the smile he gave her was genuine.

She descended from the hill where the Schnee manor sprawled, down to the glittering streets of Atlas, then further down still, until she reached the cable cars to Mantle. Then down, down, into the warm embrace of the lower city.

She walked the dark familiar street, quick but wary.

She walked until her feet hurt, until she stood before a familiar apartment. The walls were brick, old and weathered. Its wooden deck creaked beneath her feet, as she pulled out the key from her pocket and worked it in the lock. It always stuck, until she got the angle just right.

She ascended the stairs, passing the first two apartments, and used the second key on the last door.

A voice called out from a doorway where the light of a television glowed faintly. "Who's there?"

"It's me," she said.

"Weiss?" There was a mad scramble, the kicking of a beer can, and suddenly a terrific mane of golden hair lunged into view, framing eyes wide and red with alarm. "Why are you… what happened?"

A moment later, she heard another voice. "Yang? Why are you being so  _ loud?" _

"Weiss is here!" Yang yelled back.

And  _ she _ was there in a heartbeat, rushing up to Weiss in a storm of roses. "Weiss!"

The sight of her face was the last straw, and Weiss's walls came crashing down.

She collapsed to her knees as the sobs ripped their way out of her body like claws through flesh. Soft arms caught her, pulling her close. A hand stroked her hair as she cried, too devastated for words.

She heard Yang slip off to make coffee, heard the rumbling sound as the old heating system kicked in, heard the quiet soothing words offered as she wept into that familiar shoulder. She felt the gentle kiss planted on her temple. It twisted like a screw into bone.

"Weiss," Ruby Rose said, pushing her back just enough to press their foreheads together, looking into her eyes with all the worry and patience in the world. "What happened?"

Their soulstones clinked together. One was silver, the other blue. But the silver still matched the eyes beneath, and the blue…

"It's…"

Weiss's voice was fragile as a snowflake.

"It's the wrong color."


	2. More Questions Than Answers

_ "The soulstone is a feature unique to humans and faunus. No other animal possesses it. It forms while the child is in the womb, usually at the start of the third trimester. No two soulstones are exactly alike in shape, size, or composition, though they tend to stay between the range of two and four centimeters, and are almost always located in the center of the individual's forehead. _

_ Perplexingly, the Soulstone appears to serve no biological purpose, being if anything a weak point; while a person can live (at least for a time) with a broken or removed soulstone, it is embedded into the bone of the skull, and, if shattered, may cause lacerations to the brain and other cranial tissues. Furthermore, an individual with a damaged or missing soulstone inevitably deteriorates, growing depressed and sickly over the span of six-to-twelve months. Most succumb before a year has passed, dying either of illness brought on by poor hygiene or malnourishment, or, more frequently, by suicide. _

_ "However, despite these seemingly severe drawbacks, the soulstone has functions whose advantages are remarkably clear from a sociological standpoint. Initially, each soulstone manifests the same color of its bearer's eyes. However, at some point in most people's lives, the soulstone will undergo a spontaneous change in hue. This change invariably occurs one hour, six minutes, and forty-two seconds before the bearer encounters a particular stranger for the first time, near-universally one of the opposite sex, who will have also experienced a color change at the same moment. When these two individuals meet, they will discover that their soulstones have traded colors. _

_ "Soon after, a bond forms between the two persons, the strongest either of them will ever experience in their lives. This bond is permanent, and almost always romantic in nature. Most choose to get married shortly  _ yadda yadda, fuck, this is useless."

"Yang…"

"Sorry, sorry." Yang flipped through the book, scanning chapter titles. "Okay okay so that's the base case. Let's look at outliers." Her eyes skimmed over 'Same-Sex Matches,' 'Unchanging Soulstones,' and 'Soulmate Death,' until she finally found something. "Here.  _ Nonromantic Matches _ . Think this guy could just be your new best friend?"

Weiss sniffed, looking at Yang over Ruby's shoulder. "That's not what  _ he  _ thinks. The boy spent the whole night trying to flirt with me. Not that he knew  _ how _ ."

Yang winced, and kept looking. "Shit," she grumbled, flipping through page after page. "The book has nothing. It's all just about how great it is that we have soulstones. How much simpler it makes our lives… Whoop-de-fuckin'-doo."

She looked over at Ruby's bed. The two were lying there, wrapped in each other's arms, Ruby holding Weiss tight to her chest. Occasionally, Weiss would sob quietly, but mostly it seemed like she'd burned it out of her system.

Simpler lives her ass. This was fucked up.

Yang would be the first to admit that she hadn't liked Weiss at first. The prissy little heiress had rubbed her the wrong way from day one. She was judgemental, had no sense of class consciousness, and was generally kind of a pain in all kinds of ass. But, she and Ruby  _ had  _ something, and even if it wasn't destiny, it'd been good for both of them. Yang could see that plain as anything, and the girl had admittedly started to grow on her lately.

_ This, _ though… she wasn't sure  _ what  _ to think about this.

"So this guy, John Arc…"

_ "Jaune,"  _ Weiss groaned.

Yang sighed. "How's that even different?" Silence answered her. "Right, so this Arc guy. He's a tool. I get that, but you talked to him for what, an hour?"

"Four hours."

Yang hissed. "Fuck. And you couldn't find…  _ anything  _ you liked about him?"

"No."

The sound of the door opening carried from the hallway, followed by the faint pad of footsteps. Realization struck Yang like a hammer. "Blake! That's you right?"

"No, I'm a cat burglar here to burgle your life savings," Blake said, stepping into the doorway. She was holding a bag of groceries and looking like she was about to collapse, but her eyes widened sharply when she saw the girl clinging to Ruby. "Why is Weiss here after midnight? Did Atlas fall out of the sky while I was on the subway?"

"My life is ruined!" Weiss declared.

"She got matched today," Yang clarified. Blake hissed, setting her groceries down in the hall.

"I'm sorry," she said. "That can be… tough. Relationships formed before your match are… hard to break off." 

The light from Ruby's desk lamp glittered off the lilac diamond embedded in Blake's forehead. Yang stood up, pulling her soulmate into a quick hug. She hadn't forgotten the terror on Blake's face when they'd first met, and the knock-down drag-out fistfight with Adam that'd immediately followed.

Weiss and Ruby were a  _ little  _ healthier than that, thank the stars.

"At least you were  _ compatible  _ with your match," Weiss grumbled. 

Blake shot a look at Yang.

"It's a dude, and she's still gay. Also he sounds like a tool." Yang ran her fingers through her hair. "So, don't suppose you've ever heard of a soulstone match being  _ wrong,  _ have you?"

Weiss pressed her face into Ruby's arm. "I thought I could do it! There was even this other boy, one of the Vasilias heirs, who was very cute! But no! When it's finally my time to meet my soulmate destiny sees fit to match me with some…  _ cretin  _ who doesn't even know what an  _ hors d'oeuvre _ is."

"That's not that bad?" Ruby tried. Her voice was shaky, even as she tried to lighten the mood. "I only  _ kinda _ know what an ore durve is."

"The problem is less his lack of dining etiquette and more that I'm a  _ lesbian,  _ Ruby."

"Right! Sorry." Ruby gave her a gentle kiss on the top of her head, before suddenly flinching back. "I'm… um, I'm sorry. I shouldn't—"

"Stop, please… don't say it." Weiss looked up at her, the tears seeming to evaporate against the fire in her eyes. "I don't care about him. I feel  _ nothing  _ for him. And I still love you." She swallowed like she had a ball of lead in her throat. "I… don't want to leave you."

"Weiss—"

"I  _ won't!" _ Weiss declared. "I utterly refuse. If the universe thinks I belong with that… that… that  _ utter buffoon,  _ well, then the universe can  _ fuck right off!" _

The shout left silence behind it, though it only lasted a moment before Blake's quiet chuckle slipped in.

"If anyone can defy the universe, it's probably you," Blake said. She still didn't sound certain, though.

Yang frowned, crossing her arms and sitting back in the swivelly office chair she'd yoinked off an Atlesian garbage truck last month. She hummed, then kicked her desk to spin herself in place, shutting her eyes to think.

This was a  _ mess. _

"Well, we've got a few problems to solve," Yang said, finally settling her thoughts. "First off, this Jaune guy. Who is he? Like, he was at your dad's party, right? Some CEO's kid?"

"His father is a general," Weiss said. "The Arcs are an old military family. Not  _ that  _ rich, but well-off and respected."

"Hm. Is he following in daddy's footsteps?"

"He's got all the poise and coordination of a drunk seal on a sand dune, so I'd guess not."

"And not the sharpest rock in the box, either… that helps. If he's got lower standing than you do, he probably can't ruin your life with one well-placed rumor. We can work with that."

Ruby looked up, her silver eyes wide with hope. "We?"

Yang gave her a skeptical look. "Of course  _ we.  _ No way is Icy Weissy dealing with this one alone."

"Agreed," Blake said. She sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose and flattening her ears. "Weiss, to tell you the truth, you're an arrogant little pain in the ass—"

"H-hey!"

"—But you're family." Blake cut in, a smirk edging the seriousness in her eyes. "You still piss me off  _ all the time _ , but I love you anyway, and I think Ruby just  _ likes  _ how annoying and snooty you are. The point is, whatever you decide to do about this, we're with you."

Weiss had gone from outrage to teary-eyed vulnerability in record time. "Blake…"

Ruby made little grabby hands, and with an indulgent sigh, Blake walked over and joined the little hug pile. Yang sat back in her chair and rested her head on her palm, a smile playing at the corner of her lips.

Maybe, just maybe… things weren't totally fucked?

* * *

Everything was totally fucked.

Jaune paced back and forth, his hand clamped over his mouth to keep himself from screaming.

On his bed, his Amarylla Arc sat with her legs crossed and a tolerant expression on her face. "Bro, you  _ gotta  _ calm down."

"She  _ hates  _ me, Amm!" Jaune hissed. "Look, I know I'm not the most observant guy okay but I tried  _ every  _ opening I know and she just deflected all of them. And she didn't laugh at  _ one  _ of my jokes! Weiss Schnee might be my soulmate but she looks at me like I'm roadkill!"

"Hey, bro, it's gonna be okay." Amarylla sat back against the wall, rolling her eyes. "So what if you didn't hit it off immediately? Me and Jay hated each other's guts at first, and look at us now!"

Jaune glanced at his sister, at the almost painfully bright cyan of her soulstone. "Yeah, but you at least like… felt something, right? Like when you met."

"I guess?" Amarylla frowned one of those deep-in-thought frowns. "I mean, my first thought was  _ 'He's a hunk! Score!'  _ But then he opened his mouth."

"Well, I don't even know if I had  _ that!"  _ Jaune said. He resumed his pacing, running his hands through his hair. "Argh, I saw her, and I saw her stone, and I dunno, I just, kinda freaked out? Like yeah she's gorgeous and yeah it's  _ Weiss Schnee  _ but I don't know if I  _ like _ her! I mean, isn't she supposed to be a huge racist!?"

"Her  _ dad's  _ a huge racist… doesn't mean she is?"

"Well, yeah, but—"

"Jaune," Amarylla said, standing up and slapping a hand on her brother's shoulder to stop him from pacing. "Why are you so fixated on this? You found your  _ soulmate!  _ She's got flaws because she's a  _ person.  _ She's probably a little cold because she's rich enough to buy the moon and she thinks she's above some grubby soldier's son, but this is  _ destiny  _ we're talking about. She'll come around, and so will you."

"But what if she doesn't?"

"She  _ will.  _ These things just take time sometimes." Amarylla shrugged. "It worked out for mom and dad. It worked out for me and Jay." She laughed. "Heck, it even worked out for Sapphy and Terra. Like, who saw  _ that  _ coming, right?"

Jaune turned away, biting back further retort. It  _ wasn't  _ the same. It just  _ wasn't. _ Amarylla didn't get it, and neither did any of his other sisters. Maybe Sapphron would, but she lived out in the country these days…

"Y'know what? I think you should just call her." Amarylla's words slapped Jaune in the face. "You got her cell number, right?"

"Y-yeah."

"Then ask her out. Meet up somewhere to  _ talk. _ That's the only way you're gonna work through this junk." Amaryllis hopped off the bed, walked over, and threw her arms around Jaune. "I gotta get to practice, but you gotta stop beating yourself up, bro. This is a good thing! You've just gotta work at it, that's all."

She left, closing the door gently behind her, and Jaune sat heavily on his bed, staring at his knees.

He glanced over at his scroll. It was all the way on the nightstand. He'd have to move. He didn't want to move.

Sighing, he flopped back on the bed and tried staring at the ceiling for answers. The ceiling offered no answers.

"Fuck," he mumbled, shuttings his eyes as tears filled them. He curled up on his bed, pressing the side of his face into the pillow. "Fuck, fuck, fuck…"

It twisted in his guts. Sure, she was cute. Sure, he could see himself falling for her. Maybe he was already! And hey, he wasn't the most perceptive guy, maybe he was just reading her signals wrong. She probably had like, social training, right? Maybe it was bad etiquette to laugh at jokes at a fancy party? It's not like he knew the answer.

Or…

The thought entered his head with a wave of nauseous horror.

Or maybe he'd been wrong somehow. This was the first time he'd met any of the schnees. Maybe it was some big coincidence. He'd seen Weiss and immediately figured it was her, but blue eyes were pretty common and there were a lot of cute guys at that party. Maybe they'd made a mistake! Yeah, maybe Jaune's soulmate was… another Schnee? Like… well, Winter hadn't been there, or Weiss's mom, but there was always Whitley. Sure, Jaune was pretty sure he was straight but… it wouldn't be the worst thing in the world, right?

Yeah, maybe that's what it was! He glanced at the scroll. Maybe Amarylla had a point? He could just call her, and apologize, and ask if she was ok? Maybe ask if she could check her brother's soulstone for him? Would that be too awkward? Or… his sisters did always try and tell him that honest communication was the way to go. He'd never really taken it seriously, but… maybe that would be how they resolved this? Just… talking to her like a person?

He sighed, rolling over again so he could reach his scroll and picking it up. He flipped through the contacts until he found the name  _ Weiss _ with a little heart by it. He stared at it for a moment, before clicking it and editing it to remove the emoji.

His finger hovered over the call button. He hesitated.

_ She might be my soulmate. I have to try, right? _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Still not a White Knight fic.
> 
> I'm deliberately trying not to edit this one as hard as Panoply since it's kind of a side-project, but thanks to bwbies for the read-through! 💚
> 
> And thank you all for reading.

**Author's Note:**

> STILL WORKING ON PANOPLY DON'T WORRY
> 
> I wrote this first chapter like a year ago, and just never got around to posting it. Probably will continue it at some point. Regardless, here it be!


End file.
